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Milk bags woven into mats for South Africa

Holding a plastic mat made entirely of used milk bags are some members of the Upper Thames Missionary Church (UTMC) congregation, Pat Britton (left), Ron Boonstra, Alli Schultz, Lisa Granja, Anne Towle, Ruth Boonstra and Marilyn French. The church is host to a series of work bees to make the mats twice a month, cut and tied together, for those in need in South Africa. ANDY BADER/MITCHELL ADVOCATE

A little ingenuity goes a long way; and if it helps those less fortunate, even better.

One example that takes place twice a month in the fellowship hall of the Upper Thames Missionary Church (UTMC) on Rowland Street is the assembly line-like production of recycled milk bags which are eventually made into colourful, comfortable mats for needy children in South Africa.

Since January of 2016, UTMC and their dedicated volunteers, which include high school students and seniors, have created 30 mats out of the donated milk bags after they are flattened, folded, cut, looped and weaved on a handmade loom.

The process is regimented but watching them develop is quite fascinating.

Led by Pat Britton, the half-dozen regulars who attended the session last Thursday, April 13 all had jobs to do – Ruth Boonstra was flattening, Marilyn French was folding, Ron Boonstra was cutting the edge off so they are even, then cutting them in half, while Anne Towle was looping the two pieces, knotting them together into a long strand.

On the adjacent table, Lisa Granja and her son Devin were working together to string the loom while on the upright loom, Alli Schultz was getting close to putting the finishing touches on another mat.

Once complete, it will be 31 in total since the church began.

It takes 200 milk bags to completely finish one mat, which ends up being surprisingly soft, thick and colourful.

The finished product on hand, approximately three-feet by four-feet, can be left on its own or strung together to make a larger mat which, of course, will have multiple uses.

Britton said the project evolved after their original plan was just to collect the milk bags from not only the congregation but the community. A connection was made through Britton’s daughter who had a friend possess some experience making them so she was invited in and showed off her skills one day and the group felt the need to try and make them.

The rest, as they say, is history.

Through the Optimist Club in Grand Bend, the mats are shipped along with school desks and supplies to South African children to sit on rather than having them sitting on the dirt floor.

“It’s a perfect match because the mats are easy to wash, do not mold or mildew and they repel insects,” Britton said.

The mats are also used for packing en route, she added.

Other area organizations and churches do something similar, some choosing to weave while others crochet them together, but the collection of bags has gotten so large that the group – despite their best efforts – can’t quite keep up, or else would like to speed up production.

“We could do more if we had more help…we’d be glad to have anybody from the community join us,” Britton said.